 Poster: A snowHead
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Just changed from winter wheel set back to summer alloys.
OK so this year on went some Dunlop Wintersport on the front of the Yeti, leaving the old Conti Winter Contact on the back since they had 6.5mm still. This year I think we did maybe 20m on snow....and I had to drive over to the side of the road on tne way to Chandolin just so I could say that I had actually driven on snow this year. And that was with 36 days of being in the Alps. Blacktop everywhere. The icefield that is the Nax car park still justified winter tyres, as do the insurance regs in CH.
2010....drove right through France on fresh snow and then had to cope with days of 50cm of new. The Good Old Days.
Wind back to 2018 when I got the Yeti...
Four new Skoda steel wheels in 215 16 rather than the 225 17 summer rims. Factory spec smaller rims for winter tyres. Insurance therefore fine.
Lightly sand and paint them with high quality enamel paint to prevent rust - works a treat, from experience with loads of VAG rims.
Wheels are stored with tyres on, on a tyre tree, with nylon tyre covers.
I always do the change, using the vehicle jack, Brittool torque wrench and the VAG special tool for the locking bolt.
Total time 2 hours for removing wheels, picking out all the stones, inspecting them, measuring the tread depth, marking them up with chalk OSF, NSF etc with tread depth, washing them with light detergent, rinsing, drying and getting them back in the barn. It takes that long to get to a fitter, wait in the Q, idle the time for the fit and then drive back.
Important re me to do it since I can inspect the shocks, put a snick of coppergrease around the centre boss, and generally check things over. Once I found a horrible bulge in one tyre, that probably would have been spotted by a fitter. Damaged boot on shock probably would not. Zip tie fixed that - two minute job but saved the shock from cr=p ingress.
Now some stats.
All tyres from MyTyres.
Contis on rear have done 9 trips to the Alps and have gone from 8mm to 6.5mm - good for one more year and a bit more.
Dunlop on front have done 3 trips and have gone from 8 to 7.5mm. They will go on the back when the Contis run down and there are some new Dunlops in the barn which will go on the front.
Feels like Spring when I do the change...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I’m also a winter wheel person. Best purchase was an impact wrench, so much quicker, I still use a torque wrench for initial loosening and final tweak, but it’s now so much easier. Mine stay on all winter in UK, car has done 38k miles and I’ve yet to buy new tyres other than the initial 2 sets, down to about 4mm on the summers now. May venture to cross climates when they do need changing.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I'm now an all year round Cross Climate person..... 
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Changed over to my sommers last week.
I was going to go for four seasons when we last changed the car but got the chance of a set of OE alloys for winters at a good price.
Sold the set from the old car for more so all good.
Barring pot holes the two sets will last out the time we have the car probably 5 year.
Very little driving in the snow this winter but a heck of a lot of wet and below 7 driving where we are in Scotland.
Last two winters I could have survived fine without them 98% time but I am still a fan.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Garfield, ....that's an important point about wet and below 7; we have been very cold in E Anglia during the winter and very wet...and all the research shows that indeed is those conditions where winter tyres are safer.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@valais2, must book the fitter to switch ours back. I think I'll wait until it is back from bodyshop.
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@Hells Bells, oh dear....what was needed at the bodyshop?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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You’ve reminded me to email Mr Muller!l to get mine changed before we go to Italy. Up Here it costs me 60chf to get my tyres swapped and 40chfs to be stored. For CH it feels like a bargain. Defo not needed this winter though.
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| endoman wrote: |
| I’m also a winter wheel person. Best purchase was an impact wrench, so much quicker, I still use a torque wrench for initial loosening and final tweak, but it’s now so much easier. Mine stay on all winter in UK, car has done 38k miles and I’ve yet to buy new tyres other than the initial 2 sets, down to about 4mm on the summers now. May venture to cross climates when they do need changing. |
Breaker bar* for the initial loosening I hope!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| valais2 wrote: |
| @Hells Bells, oh dear....what was needed at the bodyshop? |
Someone reversed out of a parking bay into the front drivers door and wing. I was parked on the road behind it, loads of room. Young, inexperienced driver. Not massive damage, but enough to need a proper job done.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Hells Bells, ....frustrating...but good that you ID'd the driver....
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| damanpunk wrote: |
| endoman wrote: |
| I’m also a winter wheel person. Best purchase was an impact wrench, so much quicker, I still use a torque wrench for initial loosening and final tweak, but it’s now so much easier. Mine stay on all winter in UK, car has done 38k miles and I’ve yet to buy new tyres other than the initial 2 sets, down to about 4mm on the summers now. May venture to cross climates when they do need changing. |
Breaker bar* for the initial loosening I hope! |
Big long torque wrench, so about the same, yes.
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You know it makes sense.
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@endoman, oooh oooh controversy coming on …
I have been told ‘never use a torque wrench for undoing’ and also ‘it’s fine to use a torque wrench for undoing’.
Main issue is gorilla use of T wrench going past the ‘click’. You can do it, but it’s not advised. I don’t. I usually stand on the VAG brace to undo or use a mahoosive 24 inch breaker’s bar.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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For the sake of a £15 breaker bar, why risk a precision tool…
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Poster: A snowHead
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Going off at a tangent as usual.  For all that have a torque wrench how do you know it's accurate?
When was it last calibrated?
When I was on the tools ours were tested every few months.
I have one that has not been done for donkeys years.
There is still a benefit that all the bolts are the same tightness even if the figure is off slightly.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I meant to get mine sorted before Mrs Swskier drove back to the UK, but ran out of time, and now she's halfway through Germany on the way back, so they'll have to wait until we're all back here end of April.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Anyone done the change over yet? Did mine this week as one of my winters needed straightened so I took the opportunity to refurbish the full set as I also need a few tyres.
I was on Continental TS830P with a rather elderly 2019 dot code, they were down to just over 4mm on the rear and I was starting to get stuck (RWD) the odd time last winter. Replaced them with Michelin pilot alpin 4 (didn't go PA5 as I wanted BMW star approval) and they are honestly incredible, even in higher temperatures they have more grip than my worn down pilot super sports that I use in Summer.
We've had a few cold mornings this week so it might be the start of it.
Something to be aware of though is mytyres (as they were mentioned above) are a bit of a ballache for delivery since brexit. The inital delivery date I was given was 2 weeks although they did come a bit earlier. Their trustpilot reviews are pretty horrific now, next time I'll source through costco. One cool feature they have added though is you can request a 2025 dot code for a small amount extra.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I've been on Goodyear vectors all year
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Cross Climate's all year round here - little point in anything else TBH for this sort of use case.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
Cross Climate's all year round here - little point in anything else TBH for this sort of use case.
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This
But ALWAYS chains at the ready too
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@Origen, Just for balance, as always, 4wd and winter tyres living in the mountains I've never been stuck without chains. Most people I know don't have them.
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We left ours on all summer thus saving an hour at the local farmer’s shed.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Chaletbeauroc, I have always bought chains for our cars, and none of them have ever been used. Taken out of the bag/box to make sure we knew how to fit them, put back and never seen the light of day. Last car change we bought a set of snow socks, as it was Christmas week, and we couldn't get the chains delivered in time. They've never been out of the bag either, but as they are so much more compact, they live permanently in the car. Reminds me we probably have a set of chains to sell.
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Mine were near the 4mm mark at the end of last season and are 2018 models so I left them on all summer. Looking pretty worn now at the front but passed an Mot a couple of weeks ago. Will probably go the same again (RoadX RXFrost WU01) as they've been excellent.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Bridgestone Blizzaks on an awd SUV.
It eats front tyres, so the fronts have done four winters including trips to both France and Italy.
Rears were hardly worn, fronts were on the stops this spring. Bought a new pair, put them on the front.
Great tyres in the snow/ice but perhaps more relevantly, brilliant in the wet. Autoroute in the rain feels safe and secure.
Snow socks have never been out of the bag.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Also in the 4Seasons camp - for UK based once or twice a year skiers I think they are the best compromise
@Chaletbeauroc, living in the mountains I'm sure you are more used to driving in snow than the majority of us, who rarely see it. Like others I carry chains and will use them when needed.
As I know they are better, if I lived in snowier/colder climes I would swap to winters and summers
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You know it makes sense.
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| Boris wrote: |
Also in the 4Seasons camp - for UK based once or twice a year skiers I think they are the best compromise
@Chaletbeauroc, living in the mountains I'm sure you are more used to driving in snow than the majority of us, who rarely see it. Like others I carry chains and will use them when needed.
As I know they are better, if I lived in snowier/colder climes I would swap to winters and summers |
| Chaletbeauroc wrote: |
4wd and winter tyres |
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Just put cross climate 3 sports on mine. Waiting for some cold now!
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Poster: A snowHead
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I don't have a 4WD car. Having spent much of 15 winters in the mountains I have always had winter tyres (until my recent purchase of the AS tyres) and have several times had to put on chains. Once in order to have enough traction to pull a 4WD Porsche Cayenne out of the snowdrift into which the stupid vehicle had skidded, twice by order of the police and other times because I was losing traction. It's the idiots who wait until they have completely lost traction who cause chaos, trying to put their chains on in the middle of the carriageway.
But yes, winter must be coming on if we're having this conversation.
Often, the only time you need chains is on the very last approach to your accommodation, up little side roads. Or on other small local roads which are NOT ploughed all night, no matter how much snow there is.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| valais2 wrote: |
@endoman, oooh oooh controversy coming on …
I have been told ‘never use a torque wrench for undoing’ and also ‘it’s fine to use a torque wrench for undoing’.
Main issue is gorilla use of T wrench going past the ‘click’. You can do it, but it’s not advised. I don’t. I usually stand on the VAG brace to undo or use a mahoosive 24 inch breaker’s bar. |
I know this post was last year, but to comment anyway, those saying you can't/shouldn't use a torque wrench for undoing are wrong. Theres no reason that I've seen that can explain why in competent fashion. So far 
With formative training in this topic for me, can see that most really don't know what they even mean themselves.
For tighten ... sans torque wrench .... if the wheel bolts are just nipped first, then turned further 90 degree, that'll be accurate in bringing them to their expected range of service position. Its an accurate engineering method to use the designed thread dimensions in giving the amount of preload required to secure them. Correctly applied it can be more accurate than torque measurement.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Winter tyres and all wheel drive has coped for me in all the road conditions I've experienced in the Alps, including when it's been bad enough that the local police were operating tyre checks at 800m, turning around anyone without chains (although they were letting through AWD cars with certified winter tyres). So I've not used chains in 15 years or more, but I do carry a couple of pairs of snowsocks as an insurance. As @Origen says, the most likely difficulty is the final access road to your destination, especially if it's at altitude. The road to my place in Les Arcs, at 1800m, is relatively steep, has a couple of tight hairpin bends so not possible to maintain momentum, is mostly in the shade, and doesn't get a lot of traffic. Despite the resort's very efficient road clearance service, that final section of road holds a layer of compacted snow for days after the last snowfall, and it frequently catches drivers out if they don't have winter tyres.
I've not swapped to winter tyres yet. Today's the first cold day of the autumn where I live in London, currently 8 degrees, so I'll swap over in the next week or two and will leave them on until the end of April. 45 days until the first drive to the Alps, hopefully the winter tyres will have some snow to grip in to when I arrive
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Garfield wrote: |
| There is still a benefit that all the bolts are the same tightness even if the figure is off slightly. |
I guess this is true? My torque wrench had a certificate of calibration when I bought it, but no idea if it drifts with use? I use a breaker bar for loosening, seems like a good idea to not put too much stress through the torque mechanism on the wrench.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Changed my car ( same car model though) and haven't changed over the wheels since I saw that I should get a proper breaker bar. ot a bad thing as I do remove wheels for detailing! Will go and check what local tyre place put them back on at with the cross climates , likely to get rid of the spare wheel set now as I have no use for them anymore, have chains 4wd and cross climate 3s so ready for almost anything!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
get rid of the spare wheel set n
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Keep one for punctures?
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| Origen wrote: |
| Quote: |
Cross Climate's all year round here - little point in anything else TBH for this sort of use case.
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This
But ALWAYS chains at the ready too |
Completely agree. Even though, with a 4x4 in snow up to the sills on a steep slope this setup with the Cross Climate's has been excellent, we always carry chains - only used once but we did need them....
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| ski3 wrote: |
I know this post was last year, but to comment anyway, those saying you can't/shouldn't use a torque wrench for undoing are wrong. Theres no reason that I've seen that can explain why in competent fashion. So far
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A torque wrench is a piece of machinery designed for doing nuts up to a pre-specified torque (though tell
That to the tyre fitters…). A wrecker bar is designed to take unlimited torque (subject to what a human can apply anyway) whereas there has to be a point beyond which a torque wrench is unhappy.
Google suggests a maximum capacity of 250 ft lbs for a half inch wrench. If those nuts have been put on by a loon with an air gun and it takes a 16 stone bloke bouncing up and down on a 2’ torque wrench to undo them, he’s putting 500 ft lbs through the poor delicate little thing. Remember that calibration certificate……
You *can* use a hammer to put screws into wood. Or a Stanley knife to cut your finger nails. Doesn’t mean you should.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Agree, breaker bars are so cheap I’d never risk my torque wrench for loosening.
Mine gets used a few times a year, I’m happy enough that the original torque cert is good enough for my usage case as long as I don’t bad use it or drop it.
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I have a stout wheel nut wrench, into which I can stick an extender thing and stand and jump up and down on it. I've never yet failed to get a nut off that way. I don't feel the need for anything more technical. I do them up as tight as I reasonably can, being not very strong (that's a personal torque calibration  ). Not had a wheel fall off yet, but I confess I always felt a bit nervous, driving off...... If possible would prefer someone else to do it, but I do keep an eye on them (did stop one helpful guy jacking the car up before loosening the nuts...).
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FAQ
